No More Mr. Nice Guy: My 66th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And happy father's day to all of the Dads tuning in here in New Zealand as well, especially my Dad because I want to give a shout out to him then), but first that Italy is now having a World Cup curse for failing to qualify for 3 consecutive tournaments from 2018 until this year where they lost to Sweden (They last appeared in 2018, but have made it to this year's tournament following their win against Poland in a UEFA qualification playoff final as they gained vengeance over them since losing to the Poles last time out in 2022) back in 2017 the year before the tournament began (It was Spain who topped the group in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers where they qualified for the tournament in Russia), then North Macedonia (Who lost to Portugal (Who have least made it on 7 consecutive occasions with their star player Cristiano Ronaldo (The Pedro Leal, as well as the Uva brothers of both Goncalo & Vasco (All rugby), Filipe Albuquerque, Antonio Felix da Costa, & Tiago Monteiro (All motor racing) of Portuguese football (Soccer) who is in his last dance along with his key Argentinian rival of the most recent World Cup winning captain of Lionel Messi (Who is Argentinian football/soccer's equivalent of the late Juan Manuel Fangio (A racing car driver who won the Formula One world championship 5 times), & Hugo Porta (Who is a former successful rugby player of his country) as the GOAT's who will hang up their boots after the tournament (Although Argentina (The current World Cup holders who are seeking to defend football/soccer's global showpiece event since Brazil in 1962 in which no side had ever done that afterwards, & are drawn in the most favourable group possible (Along with Spain who are drawn in Group H along with tournament debutants Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia & Uruguay (Compared to France who have drawn in a difficult but demanding group in Group I along with Senegal, Iraq, & Norway, then England in Group N along with Croatia, Ghana, & Panama respectively), in Group J along with Algeria, Austria, & tournament newbies Jordan) under Messi have never met the Portuguese also under Ronaldo at a World Cup before, but they'll at least meet in the quarters with both sides will have to require of topping their groups so that they can meet for the first & only time) in the UEFA qualification playoff final) in 2022 during the UEFA World Cup qualification playoff semifinal (Also it was Switzerland who topped the group during the qualifiers when the Italians failed to beat Northern Ireland where the Swiss instead made it to Qatar), & this year to Bosnia & Herzegovina in which Italy had a disaster when they were down to 10 players for the rest of the game which was just before halftime when they took the advantage by scoring a goal earlier on in the game, then conceded a goal that forced them to extra time then penalties, before losing it on spot kicks according to the previous stories on my blogs that I did where the curse continued (And it was the Norwegians who were group toppers to appear in football/soccer's global showpiece event since way back in 1998 in France along with both the Austrians, & Scotland) for which the Bosnians have struck their golden ticket to North America where they join Group C, along with co-hosts Canada (Who'll make their 3rd appearance after previously appearing in both the 1986 & 2022 tournaments before being given automatic qualification for this year's tournament as the co-hosts along with Mexico, & the United States), the Qataris (Who were the previous hosts of the tournament in 2022 making just their 2nd appearance in the World Cup) & the aforementioned Switzerland who last failed to qualify back in 2002.

And secondly that the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary of Once Brothers is about Serbian basketball player Vlade Divac who once played for the Los Angeles Lakers when he got drafted in the NBA to play along with Magic Johnson (He hardly spoke any English when he first arrived in the United States where he was accompanied by his partner who would gone on to marry him later on in Divac's life) before moving to the Sacramento Kings later on until his retirement, & was part of the under-19 World Cup success for FR Yugoslavia way back in 1988 that he always had a bond with the late Croatian basketballer Drazen Petrovic (Friends with Divac until the Yugoslavian wars had started also way back in 1991 (The most violent invasion since World War II, but now it is that dreadful invasion since 2022 was the first full scale conflict also since the Second World War) where the friendship had ended once Croatia became independent from FR Yugoslavia) who played for both the Portland Trail Blazers (Which once had Clyde 'The Glide' Drexler in the team), then the New Jersey Nets until a fatal car accident took the life of 3 people in Germany way back in 1993 meaning that Divac (Who played with the late Petrovic as well as Toni Kukoc & Dino Radja even before the conflict began) won't reconcile with his friend anymore as he meets the parents at the end in Croatia back in 2010.

And thirdly in music that Split Enz that features the likes Neil Finn (New Zealand's equivalent of the late Chris Cornell AKA that Audioslave & Soundgarden guy) of Crowded House known for their singles of 'Late Last Night', 'I See Red', 'I Got You', 'History Never Repeats' & 'One Step Ahead', are back together for reunion shows according to the front page of the Listener that I saw about the band (Which features Neil's elder bro Tim & Eddie Rayner, but I don't know the rest of the band members other than the Finns & Rayner) that gave New Zealand a cultural big bang & exported Kiwi weird to the world, as if history was never repeating by giving it a whirl.

And lastly in the rugby that New Zealand has finally cracked down on hip drop tackles that ended the careers of certain players, especially in club level since both the NRL & NFL have since outlawed it (And I saw it on the Classics v Classic Wallabies game that referee Conrad Smith who awarded a penalty to the Classic Wallabies for a dangerous hip drop against a Classics player when it was played at Taranaki Stadium in New Plymouth, in that the Classics went on to win by 14 points in a high scoring affair (And rolling subs were used so that the players who got older may be subbed off for some reason, but I haven't watched the Classics on TV since I watched it live at Cook's Gardens here in Whanganui last year when I was there at the ground with Pops until then where I had watched it).

So that is my 714th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 66th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Elected: My 65th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that in football (soccer) that there has been a FIFA/FC curse, just like the Madden NFL one such as Wayne Rooney who appeared in FIFA 06 alongside Ronaldinho with Rooney suffering recurring injuries & loss of form shortly after his cover appearances, famously injuring his metatarsal before the 2006 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup, then it was Theo Walcott who was left out of the English squad (FIFA 10), before Gonzalo Higuain missed crucial attempts in both the 2014 World Cup final & the Copa America final a year later back in 2015 (FIFA 15), meanwhile it was Marco Reus who dealt the damage when he suffered a severe ankle injury by missing Germany's Football (Soccer) men's World Cup win also back in 2014 (FIFA 17), & endured recurring injury issues following his cover debut, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus from Real Madrid in a highly publicised & tumultuous but torrid transfer just months after his cover release (FIFA 19), & Kylian Mbappe who appeared 3 times in 21, 22 & the last one in 23 where though highly successful that his cover years coincided with unexpected Champions League collapses for Paris Saint Germain, & missed transfer switches to Real Madrid, while in recent years that the phenomenon has become an ongoing internet meme and talking point. In recent years, players like Erling Haaland (FC 24) and Jude Bellingham (FC 25 and 26) experienced highly publicized injury spells and underwhelming tournament performances during their respective cover years, but special/honourable mentions go to both Ronaldinho in FIFA 09 that he suffered injuries & a form slump, & Jack Wilshere in FIFA 12 that he missed the entire season with Arsenal, as a result of a serious injury.

And secondly that the 1989-94 era in Formula One was the greatest era of them all when they had 3.5 litre screaming V8's, V10's or V12's that thrived race fans including the drivers who dominated in that era such as the late Brazilian hero Ayrton Senna (Brazilian motor racing's equivalent of the late Pele who was once a famous football/soccer star) twice way back in 1990 & 1991 along with Frenchman Alain Prost (The Zinedine 'Zizou' Zidane (Football (soccer), Antoine Dupont (Rugby), & the late Puig Albert (League) of French motor racing) who did it twice in both also way back in 1989 & 1993, while both Briton Nigel Mansell & German Michael Schumacher (Who is German motor racing's equivalent of football/soccer's Thomas Mueller) who won the world championship once in 1992 & 1994 respectively according to the 2 fictional Formula One cars of both the F3500-A (Based off a combination of a Ferrari, McLaren & Williams cars) & the F3500-B (Which is inspired by the Benetton, Jordan & Tyrell F1 cars respectively) respectively on the Gran Turismo 7 game for that was then (And this is now where they have those Super Formula SF23 cars that they still have in that game via update along with the 2 fictional but fantasy Formula One cars with our own Kiwi of Liam Lawson who almost won the title (But he narrowly missed out on a chance instead for a golden opportunity of winning the championship) when it went to a disabled Japanese competitor who was the champion in 2023 that he can remember all the stuff that he's driven (The year that Lawson would end up making his F1 debut in the Netherlands for AlphaTauri (Now RB Racing Bulls) by subbing in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo who was ruled out for 4 races, including Italy, Singapore, Japan, & Qatar before Ricciardo returned to action in the United States).

And thirdly that June 17th, 1994 in the United States remembered for 4 things, such as the great American golfer of the late Arnold Palmer plays his final ever round at the U.S. Golf Open, then the Football/Soccer men's World Cup gets underway at the old Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois where World Cup holders at the time of Germany began their title defence with a 1 goal to nil win over Bolivia, & Spain having a 2 - 2 draw over Korea Republic, then the New York Rangers led by Canadian Mark Messier celebrate on Broadway at a parade after their Stanley Cup win, & O.J. Simpson leading the US on a slow speed police pursuit chase in a white Ford Bronco that resulted in an arrest for charges relating of killing his ex-wife & her partner (And honourable mentions go to Ken Griffey Jr ties most home runs prior to June 30th, then game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals between the Rockets & the Knicks take place).

And finally in the rugby, here are the list of matches being played in round 12 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition:

Hurricanes Vs Crusaders (Their most recent meeting between the two was last year during Round 9 in which the Crusaders won by 7 points against the Canes at Sky Stadium (Now Hnry Stadium) in Wellington)

New South Wales Waratahs Vs Western Force (The last time both of these sides met was also last year in Round 15 where the Tahs had a 5 point victory over the Force at HBF Park in Perth)

Fijian Drua Vs Highlanders (Their last meeting between the 2 was in Round 9 last year where the Highlanders crushed the Fijian Drua into bits at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin)

Moana Pasifika Vs Blues (The last time they clashed in Super Rugby Pacific was Round 5 this year in which the Blues had an emphatic win over Moana who had a player being shown the send off offence after originally being given a sin bin & on report for a high contact by the referee & the TMO bunker as well on Blues halfback Sam Nock at Eden Park in Auckland during the penultimate meeting between the two during the battle of the 09)

& Queensland Reds Vs ACT Brumbies (And also their most recent meeting between the two was this year during Round 4 which was during Club Round where the Reds had to score the match winning try by Carter Gordon (Who is in his comeback season of rugby following a stint in league last year in that he played for the Gold Coast Titans competing in the NRL) at the buzzer to end the Brumbies chances of remaining unbeaten in the competition)

Bye: Chiefs

So that is my 713th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 65th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Working for the Weekend: My 64th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby that the Black Ferns win the game by 35 points against Australia in which our 100% winning record against them, remains intact as our women claim the Pacific Four Series championship again, & retain the Laurie O'Reilly Cup that we since been held for so long according to the newspaper report that I saw on Whanganui Chronicle on April 26th (That is during ANZAC observed holiday).

And secondly that there is an Egyptian footballer (Soccer player) playing for Man City (Who is trailing behind league leaders Arsenal who had a blinder of a game, after a 1 - 0 win over Newcastle United in the latest Premier League match to cement or I should say, solidify their chance of becoming the champions of English top flight league, since 2003/04 that was during the 'Invincibles' era under Arsene Wenger & Thierry Henry), & it is Omar Marmoush (A teammate of young Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders, & Norwegian player Erling Haaland who was a bench player during his club's 2 - 1 win over Southampton, & is a teammate of Martin Odegaard who is the Norweigan captain also in international level who plays for the top of the table Arsenal FC which features the likes of Frenchman William Saliba) who is a teammate of the most famous football (Soccer) player in international level of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah who plays against Marmoush (Who could feature for Egypt in this year's Football (Soccer) men's World Cup) in club level.

And thirdly in the gaming that I had a brilliant gaming session on the 28th of April (Same day that I had a medium rare Scotch fillet with mushroom sauce, fries & salad at the St John's Club Elms Restaurant along with duo of ice cream for dessert, while for drinks that I had both water & an alcohol free Steinlager beer) as I played Gran Turismo 7 twice on the PS5 via remote play where I used the 8.5 version since the 9.0 version wasn't working when it crashed/froze after a minute, then GTA IV on Xbox 360 via backwards compatibility on the Xbox Series X along with Star Wars Battlefront II (I played the Classic Collection version on the PS4 via PS5 Pro console), as well as Project Motor Racing also on the PS5, & V8 Supercars 3 on the PlayStation 2 to round out an incredible day that was.

And lastly in the league that the Warriors are on a 3 match winning streak (First the Storm in Melbourne, then the Titans in Auckland) following an incredible close win on ANZAC day against the Dolphins at Hnry Stadium in Wellington (And Dad as well as Raewyn went to that game to finally see them win after Dad attended the game between the Dragons, & the Warriors in Wollongong, Australia the year before for that really was a losing effort (While his only All Black test that he watched was back in 2018 (2 years after my one & only All Blacks live test was in 2016 against Wales in which we won that when I went with both Pops & John) in Wellington against South Africa in which we fell short, a year before the Springboks would gone on to win the men's Rugby World Cup in Japan also back in 2019) with both Warriors players who will be chasing their future legendary status such as Demetric Vaimauga & Leka Halasima (And there was an amazing try scored by Taine Tuaupiki, but there was a yellow card dished out against one of the Dolphins players of Thomas Flegler for a tackle off the ball on Ali Leiataua for which had been under review as Flegler is expected to face the judiciary), & our next game will be the Eels (That features key players including Aussie Mitchell Moses & Samoan Junior Paulo) at CommBank Stadium in Paramatta, even though we're still 2nd on the table behind Brian To'o & Nathan Cleary's Panthers who remain on top of the standings going into the next round.

So that is my 712th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 64th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Turn Me Loose: My 63rd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in food news such as me going to Thai Villa on Friday with Pops that I had a Pad Thai meal which is my fave Thai meal just before we watched day 1 of the Super Round on TV between the Crusaders & the New South Wales Waratahs at the new Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch, then we went to Burger King a day later where I had a whopper with cheese just before we tuned in to watch day to of the Super Round when the Hurricanes played the ACT Brumbies, & on Sunday 26th of April where we went to Japanese Takeaway Momiji where I had a chicken katsu bento box, but with rice taken out by being replaced with extra salad before we watched the last minutes of the Chiefs-Fijian Drua match.

And secondly that Washington D.C. has been marred by a shooting at the White House correspondent's dinner therefore triggering a breach of security as a gunperson who illegally stormed into that building, is in legislation enforcement custody for charges including an attempted assassination in which the man who is a part-time teacher in which he received the teacher of the month award in California back in December the year before, & a gaming developer (He was checked in at a hotel in the capital city of the United States), is expected to face with (Even though he'll make his first court appearance, but he'll be sentenced for the crimes that he committed such as time behind bars) that terrified most people (Including journalists that worked in different news outlets, such as the pro-far left wing liberal news channel of CNN that I watched on the 27th of April), especially that dreadful American leader (And I mean, why would they target a certain individual like that in which he has been in the wars 3 times when he survived those assassination attempts? Similar to the one in September last year that I cannot mention on my blogs to avoid backlash of being offended by the people of the United States) & that terrible American vice leader who were both rushed to safety by the president's bodyguards as they rolled out of harm's way when SWAT teams arrived in response to the shooting for I label it as one of the most cowardly, unprovoked acts of the year (And they needed further adequate security to future events (And the President of the United States said to one of the reporters that his guards have done a decent job to apprehend the perp like that so that him, his family, the Vice President & the Vice President's family had been rushed to a secure location), like his Majesty the King's visit to America in which there will be fully increased security after that serious incident (But they told the US President that the meeting between him & King Charles III will be off-camera to avoid awkwardness, but the president's bodyguards regarding of keeping the leader safe of their main task of guarding the President of the United States at all times 24/7 is under review following that certain security breach in which the gun person had been detected by security, in which there will be a advanced rollout of security features such as identification must be shown at an event (In which miscellaneous events in the nation's capital other than the US President's correspondents dinner have security over there to stop would be troublemakers from crossing over to storm that event illegally just like exactly that suspect who had made an illegal entry over there) as well as being on the guest list in which that perpetrator (Who wasn't a lone wolf because he was certainly a lone actor which means that someone who acts alone) was an unwanted guest (And there was an authorised guest who calmly ate salad as cool as a cucumber when that particular incident happened in which security measures will change, even though the President of the United States felt like that he thought there was a war coming to start with thinking that they're like being invaded, as well as he said that they were under attack (And Pops told me that no enemy force like the Axis of Upheaval would attack Washington because of the Americans are well routinely equipped with ships & firearms, in case if anyone tries to start a war in that country (And if atomic bombs drop by an enemy plane killing that president & vice president that they're going to issue martial legislation, just like the Iran war had started when that their Ayatollah got assassinated by a joint American-Israeli effort, & the Archduke of Ferdinand & his wife got murdered in the hands of a Serbian nationalist in Bosnia therefore triggering World War I by setting a chain reaction of events similar to the one this year in February, as both assassinations are viewed as "black swan" events (Similar to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Christmas day way back in 1991, then 9/11 back in 2001, the global financial economic crisis from also back in 2008-09, & COVID (Especially the pandemic that us & the world which we once had, & faced from 2020 until 2023 formally that there had been disruptions all over the place), killing norms and escalating tensions to the brink of (or into) widespread global conflict), & the US are into a war against Iran that the Strait of Hormuz will likely be closed permanently as a result for the duration of the invasion, because they are not going to have a ceasefire peace deal anytime soon just like that shocking conflict since 2022 in which that damn war will never end), just like exactly that most American people were outraged about ICE murdering those immigrants in which the immigration laws in the United States are strict, & you could even face the death penalty, or worse by risking someone's life of getting shot even if you kill that pesky Immigration Customs Enforcement agent, but we're probably safe here in New Zealand (And of course me being a Liberal type of person just like Pops & Dad (And there is a channel containing liberal politics stuff in America available on YouTube when Dad who once alluded to me before), but our country has been ruled by the conservatives of the National Party (The one political party that I hate since I prefer Labour as my fave political party just like Pops & Dad just because it is liberal that last ruled in 2023 until National took over where they have been there since with the New Zealand general election is due on November 7th this year to decide who will rule our government) who are a centre class type of government) because it is peaceful right up here, compared to America being a hostile country under that extreme far-right conservative type of thing, oh hell (This is dreadful).

And thirdly in the gaming that after I bought Tekken 4 on April 24th that my only Gran Turismo game that I never ever played was Gran Turismo 4 which came out in 2004-05 & the reason why is because of the Nürburgring 24 hour event being staged as the last race of the career mode campaign because I'll never do anything for 24 hours straight, & if I do purchase it meaning that I'll play it for 16 hours a day (I'll be having breakfast, then lunch & dinner), then have a sleep for 8 hours before completing the job for 8 hours straight even though I'm having both breakfast & lunch.

And finally that the Crusaders (Who had winger & midfielder Leicester Fainga'anuku shifted into the forwards at openside flanker in a hybrid role) begin the new era at Te Kaha Stadium during the Super Round on day 1 (Same day that the American rock band of the Foo Fighters had released their brand new album called Your Favourite Toy, is available in shelves now at record stores around the world) with a win against the New South Wales Waratahs by 15 points including the key highlights of that game including Dallas McLeod being the first try scorer of that new venue as clean as a whistle (Well that was short & sharp then) & getting a double (One of his tries had been waved off by the TMO for an obstruction before the NSW Waratahs would gone on to score the other end of the field, along with the David Havili one that had been rubbed out for foul play), then a day later on day 2 (Which was during ANZAC day), the Hurricanes demolish the ACT Brumbies with Fehi Fineanganofo (Who is signed on a 2 year deal with Gallagher Prem side Newcastle RB's, in which the one that the All Blacks could've got away, just like Waisake Naholo back in 2015 that he signed a lucrative deal with a French club after his impressive Super Rugby season for the Highlanders which they won, but cancelled out his contract as he opted to stay for New Zealand rugby in which he won a men's Rugby World Cup for the All Blacks in that year) providing the heroics as he scored 4 tries in a match (And what a turnaround for the Canes after losing to the Chiefs who is on top of the table following their victory during Super Point extra time in Hamilton against them, to end the Brumbies chances of completing a stunning clean sweep against New Zealand teams with the Stormers of South Africa who was the one & only Super Rugby side to do that back in 2010 which was during the Super 14 era back then), before the Blues snatched a win against the Reds (Who had reserve halfback Louis Werchon score with a kick to come before it was successfully converted by Jock Campbell to force it into Super Point when it was played under a penalty advantage for cynically collapsing the maul) via a match winning penalty goal by Beauden Barrett during Super Point extra time (In which the penalty had been awarded when Fraser McReight had tackled a Blues player who knocked the ball on that was deemed by the referee to be in an offside position in which McReight was gutted & robbed about both the decision & the game), then also a day later in day 3 that the Highlanders managed to win against Moana Pasifika by 10 points to move up to 7th on the table ahead of the Tahs (Including the game was held in hot conditions as the new stadium for that was like a greenhouse to start with was baking out there under the roof, especially Ethan de Groot who said that the stadium has got an air condition system that the heat which came from when the players were being exhausted), & lastly, the Chiefs rounded out Super Round with a emphatic thrashing against the Fijian Drua (But it's the Hurricanes who have retaken top spot after 11 rounds in terms of points difference), but what do I think of the new stadium that had just been built for $683 NZ million which was constructed in 2022 (And the final bill of that venue would gone up a notch to NZ 1 billion dollars once it had been completed), then opened 4 years later, on the 27th of March? Well, it looked astonishing, absolutely breathtaking (And it is a hell of a stadium indeed) that we not just got both covered venues here in New Zealand, all in the South Island such as Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, & recently, Te Kaha Stadium (It is mainly a rugby ground (For which will host our first test of the year between the All Blacks & the defending Six Nations champions, Les Bleus of France led by rugby's top stars during this decade of captain Antoine Dupont who plays for Stade Tolousain (Compared to rugby's main star during the 90s decade which is our own New Zealander of the late great Jonah Lomu) due in July in front of a sell-out crowd), but can host other rectangular sports matches such as league (There'll be hosting an NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors, & the North-Queensland Cowboys for that the game had been sold out already, as well as a league international between New Zealand & the Cook Islands during a League World Cup match this year also over there) & football/soccer (With both the Wellington Phoenix will host games along with the All Whites in an international friendly against international opposition, as well as our future Football/Soccer men's World Cup qualifiers) there in the largest city of the South Island, & the 2nd largest here in our country of New Zealand for that was really better than Lancaster Park (It was closed due to earthquake damage back in 2011, then demolished also back in 2019, but they once had Apollo Projects Stadium that had been lasted for 14 years as a temporary stadium) which had been the final phase as part of the city's post earthquake recovery phase.

So that is my 711th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 63rd of this year, viva Ukraine.

Happy Waste: My 62nd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first on April 19th that rain has poured into Whanganui meaning that there were floods everywhere, left, right & center, when they issued a local state of emergency (A day before it was being lifted for the Whanganui district as people are urged to keep out of floodwaters) due to 8.1 metres of water on the river that meant heavy rain had caused flooding & slips overnight.

And secondly in the cricket as the Black Caps fall to another defeat against Bangladesh who won the 3 match One Day International series with Majmul Hossain Shanto scoring a ton & Mustafizur Rahman picking up a fifer for 43 runs when Shanto posted 105 off 119 deliveries for his 4th ODI century to lift Bangladesh to 265 for 8 after being invited to bat first at Chattogram as Mustafizur who returned from injury after not playing the first 2 matches, then ripped through the New Zealand batting to help bowl out the opposition for 210 in 44.5 overs.

And thirdly that I saw Don Edmonds on ANZAC Day that he came here on his e-bike so he came to our place for lunch with me & Pops where we had chicken nuggets with salad & croutons, & Pops had a great yarn with him before he left as he followed Pops path to the Commercial Hotel pub where he spent time chatting to his friends from the past that he reminisced with, so too is Don, while at home that I was gaming that I played Tekken 4 on the PlayStation 2 that I bought at Cash Converters (I thought that disc was not going to work, until I found out that it works since I have still got a PS2 slim console) for the first time (Well, I never played that game before throughout my entire life, up until that point), & I played as Hwoarang the South Korean Taekwondo expert so I can unlock both his ending & Jin Kazama, then I had afternoon tea & shower, before Pops took me to Burger King (We were originally thought about going to Japanese Takeaway Momiji (For Pops found out that it is dear due to the high prices), but it is closed however due to ANZAC Day) so that I can have a whopper with cheese for dinner for which I literally enjoyed so he dropped me off home so I can play Tekken 4 again, this time as Jin who is the Karate expert who took off Hon-maru after defeating both his dad Kazuya Mishima first, then his grandad Heihachi last during his ending for which is considered to be canon in the lead up before the events of Tekken 5 took place where multiple JACK-4 robots managed to track Heihachi Mishima down for which he originally thought that he was killed from that explosion in which Kazuya escaped.

And lastly that Dad (Who is due to come here at 15A Kells Avenue (Our place AKA Ngapo Estate) on an ANZAC observed holiday (A day after him & Raewyn are due to leave Wellington on April 26th (And they have been there since the 24th of April) on the 27th of April with his Rugby 06 game that he will give it to me, but I found out that Rugby 06 one is better than Rugby 08, even though the latter one was the best rugby game that they ever made on the market) told me on April 19th about him predictably about that dreadful invasion since 2022 could end this year because of Ukraine taking advantage of it against the country who started it that are getting concerned & terrified, so fingers crossed for him wanting to end that shocking never ending conflict that has been grinding, & has always been going, but Dad said that he demanded himself of waiting to end that horrendous war like that, in exchange for a sustainable peace settlement (And at least we are safe here in our country of New Zealand just in case World War III breaks out along with 10 others, including Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bhutan, Chile, Fiji, Iceland, South Africa, Switzerland, & Tuvalu as I told Pops before on the 4th of May this year).

So that is my 710th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 62nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

Celebrity Skin: My 61st Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first it was a great win by the Black Ferns over Canada in Kansas City, Missouri in the US during the Pac 4 comp to exact vengeance that we experienced last year in which the Canadians dominated against us in a women's Rugby World Cup semi over in Bristol, England last year, but our last game in the Pacific 4 for our women is against the Wallaroos of Australia who haven't exactly beaten us before in international women's rugby, especially the XVs as our wahine put our 100% winning record on the line against them at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana Waters.

And secondly onto cricket such as Suzie Bates will call time on her cricket career after this year's women's T20 Cricket World Cup going into our defence of the crown who Bates is easily one of among the greatest cricketers to have ever represented New Zealand as the 38 year old made her debut for Otago aged 15, & her debut international appearance 3 years later back in 2006, with more than 20 years as a NZ representative, including her time as a Tall Fern at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, Bates has worn the silver fern for over half of her life as to date that Bates has represented New Zealand in cricket 362 times - 181 ODI's & 181 T20 internationals as those 362 matches make her the 2nd most capped lady in the history of the sport as only India's Harmanpreet Kaur, with 364 appearances, has more - albeit with the caveat of seven test matches, a format of the White Ferns haven't played during Bates's career.

And thirdly in league that the New Zealand Warriors coach Andrew Webster has insisted tighter NRL practice guidelines have not forced changes to how his team prepare for games during the week as the Aussie rugby league commission has just imposed limits on practice fields in an effort to cut injuries, especially head knocks as the restrictions apply to both NRL & NRLW sides through pre-season & in-season sessions as men's teams are required to be notified of the alteration prior to the start of the season, capping contact at 100 minutes through a 7 day turnaround, including wrestling, while the women's competition gets underway in July & they can train contact no more than 85 minutes over 7 days during their season, but both men & women see their allocation trimmed to 40-50 minutes for shorter turnarounds.

And finally in football (Soccer) that there is a must win situation for the Black Knights of Auckland FC that they need an away win against Sydney FC in order to lock in a top 2 spot in both the standings & a place in the semi as a draw or defeat by a goal or both would mean pursuing teams could catch Auckland & send last season's Premier Plate winners into 3rd place & requiring to play in an elimination final to get into a semi as they rued their mistakes after a costly 1 - 0 defeat against the Central Coast Mariners with Auckland's coach Steve Corica serving a 1 match suspension as a result of a red card for abusing the officials following a 2 - 2 draw against the Melbourne Victory as the Black Knights have just won one game out of the last 5 matches & have just missed out on retaining the Premier Plate.

So that is my 709th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 61st of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the cricket world is in mourning as the great West Indian batter & one of the finest cricketers of a generation, of Sir Garfield 'Garry' Sobers (Who hit 6 sixes in an over during a domestic match in England between his team that he captains for, of Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan over in Saint Helens cricket ground in Swansea, Wales, UK, in 1968 for that really was a sobering effort) has passed away in the month of July aged 89 just 11 days short of his 90th birthday, so they already sent their thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences who go to the Sobers family, & his loved ones, may you rest in paradise, thank you Sir Garfield.

Sir Garfield Sobers

1936 - 2026

Malibu: My 60th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I was discussing Pops at the Cobb while we were having lunch about France being the most visited country in the world according to the 2006 FIFA World Cup PlayStation 2 game, along with Germany (Who was the host of the 2006 tournament, 4 years after Japan & Korea Republic co-hosted it back in 2002, & 4 years before South Africa hosted it also back in 2010) being having more websites than any other country (And back in 2003 that the nation has had most vehicle exports with 3.65 million passenger cars, compared to Japan which is 2nd best behind the Germans), & Italy being the largest consumers of bottled water as well.

And secondly that there is both concerning & terrifying news to all our All Whites fans, a few months out until the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup in North America that we're experiencing a star player injury crisis throughout the New Zealand camp as our skipper & all-time leading goal scorer for our country of Chris 'Woodsy' Wood is injured again since returning from knee surgery after a challenge from a Polish player of Jan Bednarek who had been shown the straight red for intentionally taking Wood out in a serious foul play incident during a Europa League game (In which the referee had referred it straight to the VAR for a probable send off offence, in which they made the decision to send Bednarek off meaning that Nottingham Forest's opponent were down to 10 players as a send off had left New Zealand captain in agony, while Wood (Who is another injury cloud following a tackle which resulted in a send off offence forced him off the field) carried on before being subbed off with a badly broken knee, even though Nottingham had the numerical advantage in that they won when they went through to the semi), but this could be big trouble for the All Whites, & our chances of a World Cup push (Our first game is either Iran (Who is still being invaded by the United States who decided to open the Strait of Hormuz when the fuel prices went down, until they closed it again meaning that it had been increased once more as I heard reports before from Dad on April 19th (And how hard is it to keep the Strait closed? Is it tough for them for petrol prices to remain expensive that way as long as the invasion keeps going (And they're not going to have a ceasefire to come up for a solution about it because that might take forever to end just like that dreadful invasion since 2022 will never be ending anytime, not even in 50 years, 100, or even the Reconquista war (For which the conflict was about the Christian kingdoms taking back from the totalitarian, oppressive rule from the Islamic kingdoms) that lasted from 722 AD, until 1492 according to the previous stories from my blogs (And I am on the same page right now) or the UAE (Even if the Iranians chose to pull out for US invading them, but they still have not confirmed it yet), at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, California) if Wood is ruled out of the tournament altogether which could be heartbreaking, but let's say that it isn't too serious meaning that he'll carefully manage his knee for the remainder of his life.

And thirdly that the Linkin Park song that is part of the alt rock & electronic rock genre, of 'Shadow of the Day' from back in 2007 (That single appeared on the Minutes to Midnight album that was released in the same year), exactly sounds like the highly successful 'With or Without You' song by Irish rockers U2 (Who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2005 (And it was a quarter of a century since their debut album came out way back in 1980 called Boy with the hit song, 'I Will Follow'), their first year of eligibility as they honoured their 20 year career as one of their top rock acts also from way back in 1987 (Taken from the Joshua Tree album), due to a very similar beat structure to it because of these songs are reminiscent to each other, & they're like ballads to start with.

And lastly in Super Rugby Pacific such as the Blues return to winning ways against the Highlanders in a high scoring affair at Eden Park in Auckland, before the New South Wales Waratahs dispatched Moana Pasifika (Who announced that this season will be their last since it is disbanding them due to having not enough money to keep operating (Their head coach of Fa'alogo Tana Umaga is expected to join the AB's as the assistant coach for which he'll be the defensive co-ordinator) just like the Melbourne Rebels who just left the year before hence the reason why that next year's competition will be down to 10 teams, because odd numbered teams where a side will take a bye just like in the NRL for that has 17 teams (Make it 18 next year when the Perth Bears join the competition, then 19 the year after as the PNG franchise who is set to begin competing), while even numbered teams, well, they hardly take any byes as Pops alluded to me before) at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, then the Chiefs go to the top of the table following their win at extra time when Damian McKenzie was attempting a field goal, but it was charged meaning that Wallace Sititi who was onside took the catch, then scored it under the posts to secure a victory at golden point extra time against the Hurricanes who lose top spot at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton, as well as the Fijian Drua score an unlikely monumental upset win over the Brumbies to register their first win in Canberra since they joined the competition in 2022, & the Western Force secure a boil over victory over the Crusaders who go into the Super Round in Christchurch against the Tahs at the new Te Kaha Stadium off the back of a defeat at HBF Park in Perth.

And here are a list of matches being played during the Super Round at the brand spanking new, state of the art Te Kaha Stadium (Which will host all matches being staged during Super Round that is making a comeback after a 1 year hiatus when Melbourne once hosted it between 2022, & the year before where the last time was held before the Melbourne Rebels departed from the comp) with all but one team set to play in a single venue:

Crusaders Vs New South Wales Waratahs

Hurricanes Vs ACT Brumbies

Blues Vs Queensland Reds

Highlanders Vs Moana Pasifika

& Chiefs Vs Fijian Drua

Bye: Western Force

So that is my 708th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 60th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And a big shout-out to my half-bro of Jansi Jans who turns 23 today out here so I want to wish him all the best, & happy birthday to him as well so badly, cheers (And we are having a birthday lunch at Stellar restaurant here in Whanganui, goodness me, how about that!).